Well, I finally took the time to edit some pics to post here. These first two are of the car in the trailer when Marshall and I went to look at it. I have more but none any better than these so I won't waste any time putting them up.

Every time I sat in that thing that K&R stuck out like a sore thumb as the dash looked like a piece of junk that had been hobbled together. That and with dash space so limited, I was going to be hard pressed to put anything else on there. So last week the dash came out and I got material from I friend I use to work with to make another one.

Then there' was the position of the Co2 bottle, puke bottle etc that I wanted to move around so that stuff is off the car waiting for new planning and a remount. That external water pump won't go back as I have a CSI pump on the SBC that will wind up in the car. So here's a couple of pics with s**t ripped out and laying everywhere. I guess some of this was necessary as I had to find out where all those wires go.

So today more parts of the puzzle were ordered from my buddy Ron Owens. Got a 1:69 shorty planetary, shorty rear cover, a line lock solenoid, new belts and K&R Pro Cube in dash mount coming from him and will replace those 2 5/8 gauges with smaller 2 1/16 ones that take up less room. That 5 inch VDO playback tach will NOT go back in the dash and I'll probably wind up with a small 2 5/8 tach in it somewhere down the road, or, I may not even put a tach in it!

Next two hurdles are paint and headers but not necessarily in that order. I'm having problems finding someone to paint it so in the end I may have to do that myself. All I want is a plain white base clear and no fancy stuff. May go talk to Maco to see what they say.

Ennywhoot, I've been plugging along on it but most of what I've been doing is reworking stuff to suit me. I guess I should have just built a new car, huh!

Ken, when you first start a project like this, yes it does seem like building a new one is the better idea. I felt the same way when I started restoring my fuel roadster. Hang in there man, you'll eventually end up with a very large pile of old bolts-washers but the end result will be more than worth it !

Ken, when you first start a project like this, yes it does seem like building a new one is the better idea. I felt the same way when I started restoring my fuel roadster. Hang in there man, you'll eventually end up with a very large pile of old bolts-washers but the end result will be more than worth it !

Careful, other cars will become jealous of the dragster....

Yeah morpheus, both you and I are old enough and done this enough that we know how it goes! You fit a piece then take it off and fit more and take them off and keep doing that with all the s**t you want to use. Then one day you wake up and it's time to put it all together for the last time and most of the time, at least in my case anyway, it works! Sometimes that light at the end of that tunnel looks like it's mighty far away though.

RE, the other cars: Well, one of them knows where it stands as it's my first love. I've built two cars from scratch in my life and that Studebaker is the only one that's left as that 68 Camaro I finished back around 1988 was crashed at Roxboro Motorsports a few years back and is no more! The Camaro I have now, on the other hand, is the bastard child right about now and will be sold as soon as I get the s**t out of it I want to keep. I will admit however that I will miss that car when it's gone as it's a blast to ride! It's just not practical as a bracket race car IMHO!

I feel your pain Ken! When I got started on mine, it went from taking it for a recert only to find it wouldn't pass, then taking a closer look at everything and then tearing it all down to the bare frame! From there it's been about two years and a buttload of work to get it ready! A bunch of tubing had to be replaced, a new cage, a new motor, some trans parts, new converter, new gears, new wiring harness, new c02 system, new shifter, new seat belts, new fuel system, new brakes, hell, basically a new car!!!!! Sometimes I wonder if it would have been easier to just build a whole new one! I do know that the next one I get will either be less than five years old and carrying a current cert, or I'll buy a new one. Either way, I'm excited to finally get to drive it and put it back in competition. Good luck with your build and maybe one day I'll get the chance to put you on the trailer! Hahahahaha!!!

Mark unless you're planning to do some racing in Central Virginia and North Carolina we'll never meet. And that wouldn't be the only time I've ever been put on the trailer!! Funny though, I've won more rounds driving a door car against a dragster than I can count. Seems I'm always "up on the wheel" when I race against one of them "skinny" cars and I did get a fair amount of pleasure sending them home.

The way things are going now it looks like it's going to be into September before I can get to the track with this car. Whatever! At least we'll be having some good weather then.

Ken.... puttin' her together and apart was the easy part. The worst at our age is spending the morning/evening figuring out where the heck something goes.... then going in for lunch or the evening, and coming back out and not being able to remember WTF ah wuz gunna' dood !

Ken.... puttin' her together and apart was the easy part. The worst at our age is spending the morning/evening figuring out where the heck something goes.... then going in for lunch or the evening, and coming back out and not being able to remember WTF ah wuz gunna' dood !

Yeah, I've suffered from CRS for a log time now. I attribute some of that to smoking those "left handed" cigarettes back in my younger days, ie, marijuana memory! It's really bad though when I'm the only one in this shop most of the time and I still loose stuff and have the Wife come out and help me find it. Some things never are found though as I put them in a "special" place so I won't forget where they are! Growing old and senile isn't that bad though when you consider the alternative!!

New Dash for the dragster. Here is a shot of the K&R Pro Cube that was "scabbed" on to the original dash that was setup for a Dedenbear box. The last owner "rigged" it and believe me, it was junk! No offense Lenard? So that was one piece of that original setup that I just couldn't live with, hence, the new dash made the way "I" want it to be!!

And here is a pic of the NEW dash that is waiting for the SunPro 2 5/8 tach, temp gauge and the Pro Cube flush mount I ordered from Roniboi Owens Racing (cheapraceparts at yahoo.com) last week. I've already cut the holes for the 2" gauges and the Painless Wiring panel and I also added holes for two additional toggle switches for headlight and data logger to be added when it's installed for the last time. I've also got room now for a fuel shutoff, which is "required" for a belt drive mechanical pump (for what reason I really don't know!!). Ennywho, here is what it looks like right now.

Santa Claus came today! Got the 1:69 planetary, K&R box mount, Shorty cover, line lock solenoid, short dip stick assy. and UPS tried to deliver the new seat belts but I wasn't home to sign for them. Thanks to Ron Owens for the quick shipping and competitive prices on this stuff. Now I can finish that new dash!

Ken, what made you decide to get another digger, and do you really want to sell the bastard child Camaro? With your one comment that you have put many a digger back in there box, why get rid of it? You could always mount it on the front of your garage above your company name you need to come up with like"Kens Hot Rod Shop"

Well, I put a post in here the other day with a pic of the new box kit installed? Anyone else missing posts lately??? This Godaddy move is turning out to be somewhat questionable!!

Ennywho, here is a pic (AGAIN) that I posted the other night after I finished this part. The next thing is a small tach hole in the upper middle and then I'll polish it up real purddy and then clear coat it with urethane.